Salvia rosmarinus 'Blue Spears' (Ro)

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rosemary 'Blue Spears'

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Synonyms

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Blue Spears'

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A bushy, aromatic evergreen shrub, strongly upright to about 1-1.2m tall, with short, needle-like, linear, dark grey-green leaves, and masses of small, tubular sky-blue flowers, from mid-spring to summer, and often again in autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.5-1 metres
Max Height
1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H4

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Foliage
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Lamiaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Columnar upright, Bushy
Potentially harmful
Skin allergen. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Genus
Salvia can be annuals, biennials, herbaceous or evergreen perennials, or shrubs. They have paired, simple or pinnately lobed, often aromatic leaves and 2-lipped flowers in whorls, forming simple or branched spikes or racemes
Name Status
Unresolved
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

This genus has changed from Rosmarinus to Salvia

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil in sun, see rosmary cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Coastal
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Mediterranean climate plants
  • Patio and container plants
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Low Maintenance
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Garden edging

Pruning

Pruning group 9

Pests

May be susceptible to rosemary beetle, cuckoo spit, sage leafhopper, tortrix moth and scale insects

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), powdery mildews, verticillium wilt and foot and root rots